t the Student Government Association meeting on Monday,
January 28, the senators passed and discussed revisions to the SGA bylaws that
were reviewed at the previous meeting.
One important change discussed at
the meeting was the powers of the
Student-at-Large position. After much
debate between senators and executive council members, the decision to
amend the powers of the Student-atLarge was tabled to next week’s meeting.
Provided that the revision is passed,
the Student-at-Large will have a vote
and be allowed to participate in senate
discussion. The current Student-atLarge is Alex Wiles, a senior and psychology major at South Alabama.
A significant revision passed at
Monday’s meeting was an increase in
the SGA stipend amounts. Each SGA
officer will receive a $75 increase in his
or her monthly stipend.
Furthermore, semester stipends for
senators will be doubled, the Studentat-Large will receive the same stipend
amount as each senator and the associate justice will begin receiving a stipend.
These stipend revisions will become
effective June 1, 2013 when new SGA
senators and officers begin the summer
semester.
The SGA wants students to be
aware of important dates for this year’s
SGA elections. Applications will be
available at the SGA office in the academic support center on Jaguar drive
on March 1. Applications are due at the
SGA office by 5 p.m. on March 18.
Those that submitted applications
must attend a mandatory candidates
meeting on March 18 at 5:15 p.m. at the
SGA office. Any applicants that cannot
attend the meeting must send a representative to the meeting in his or her
place.
Primary elections will begin via JagMail on Monday, March 25 and end on
Wednesday, March 27. Run-offs will beSee SGA Page 5

Cassie Fambro | Editor

A

Dr. John Smith addresses the Board of Trustees and those in attendance on Friday at an emergency meeting regarding his temporary appointment as president of USA.

President Moulton is recovering from brain surgery in october that removed a malignant brain tumor
By CASSIE FAMBRO
editor.in.chief@usavanguard.com

A

new sheriff is in town, at
least temporarily.
Dr. John Smith is now the acting
president of the University of South
Alabama. For at least 90 days, President Gordon Moulton will be focusing on recuperation following his
October 21 surgery to remove a ma-

lignant brain tumor.
Moulton had returned to his duties
but the Board of Trustees encouraged
him to take some time off for fear of
pushing himself too hard. As a result of that encouragement, Moulton
agreed to the 90 day leave of absence.
On Friday February 1, the Board of
Trustees convened for an emergency meeting to make the presidential

switch official and appointed Smith to
the role. Chairman of the Board Jim
Yance told attendees that Moulton’s
health was “interfering with his ability.”
He emphasized that thoughts and
prayers were with Moulton and his
family as he continues to heal.
Director of Public Relations Keith
Ayers said that Moulton is cancer-free

and that he is recovering well.
After being unanimously appointed
by the Board, Smith issued a statement
assuring his confidence. “I am honored
to be asked to serve in this role. We have
a very strong administrative team that
works well together, so I am confident
that we can keep the University moving forward until President Moulton reSee President Page 5

Harassment at USA: Students have ways to get help
By JAYSON CURRY
jayson-curry@hotmail.com

O

nly through the first three
weeks of the spring semester at South Alabama, issues have
arisen with roommates and other
students reporting harassment. There
have already been six harassment cases reported to USAPD.
USAPD Lt. Tammy Orso said
these situations aren’t unusual at the
beginning of every semester.
“There is always a lot of drama
with people who have never lived

find us on Facebook
“Facebook.com/
TheVanguardUSA”

with anyone before, other than their
family, moving in together,” Lt. Orso
explained. “A lot of times it’s incoming
freshmen.”
There is not only harassment issues
involving roommates at USA, there is
also an increase in harassment through
social media. In many of these cases of
harassment Lt. Orso explained “they
are not all going to reach the point of
being prosecuted.”
In instances where USAPD feels
prosecution isn’t necessary, there are
multiple steps students can take to re-

Check out our digital edition
thevanguardonline.com

solve the issue they may have.
If you feel that your roommate in
USA housing is harassing you in any
way, your first step should be talking to
your RA or someone in housing.
The USA housing handbook lays
out the policy on harassment.
“Harassment is defined as annoying or attempting or threatening physical harm or causing apprehension of
harm to another person, using abusive
language, including electronic communication, tending to incite an immediate breach of the peace to any

Life, Page 6

person, persistent following or stalking
of a person or engaging in a course
of conduct or repeatedly committing
acts that alarm or seriously annoy another person. Such actions are strictly
prohibited in the residence halls and
throughout the University. Those
found responsible for violation of
the harassment policy in the residential community may be immediately
administratively relocated or removed
from the residential community pending a housing judicial conference or
See Harassment Page 14

Send letters and guest columns
to:
The Vanguard
University of South Alabama
P.O. Drawer U-1057
Mobile, Ala., 36688.
Or
editor.in.chief@usavanguard.
com
Letters and guest columns
must be received by 7 p.m. on the
Wednesday prior to the Monday
publication.
Submissions should be typed
and must include the writer’s name,
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All submissions become the
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The Vanguard reserves the right
to edit letters and guest columns
for length and clarity. Letters will
be limited to 300 words. Letters and
guest columns are the opinion of
the writer.
The Staff Editorial represents
the consensus opinion of the
Editorial Board, which is composed

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of the Editor in Chief, Copy Editor,
Senior Reporter, and Opinion
Editor.
All members of the Editorial
Board have the same weight.
The Vanguard has a
commitment to accuracy and clarity
and will print any corrections or
clarifications.
To report a mistake, e-mail
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The Vanguard is published
Mondays during the academic
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vacations, and is published twice
each summer.
The Vanguard is supported in
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Issues are available at most
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The first copy is free. Additional
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Freelance writers will receive
payment at the discretion of the
section editor and will be notified
accordingly.

See Something suspicious?
Report it to USAPD.

USA Police Blotter

No new police blotter until next week.
Make sure to report suspicious behavior on campus to USAPD.

251-460-6312

facebook.com/
thevanguardusa

The Vanguard, the student-run
newspaper of the University of South
Alabama, serves its readership by reporting the news involving the campus
community and surroun ding areas.
The Vanguard strives to be impartial in
its reporting and believes firmly in its
First Amendment rights.

4

VOL. 52, NO. 4 / FEB. 4, 2013

5

VOL. 52, NO. 4 / FEB. 4, 2013

SGA update

President

Cont. from page 1

Cont. from page 1

gin on April first and end April third.
At Monday’s meeting Senator Jacob
Taylor, a junior and information systems major, was applauded by the senate for his efforts in this year’s school of
computing senate project.
As part of this initiative, the entrances to the Shelby Hall parking lot
from Jaguar drive will be widened and
a sidewalk will connect Meisler Hall to
the life sciences building.
As the third component to this project, which has already been completed,
all speed bumps on campus have been
restriped and equipped with reflective
glass beads to improve visibility at night.
These projects were proposed to
the senate by Taylor and approved last
semester. “I enjoyed having a part in
these changes…thinking outside the
box and trying to figure out how I can
best represent the school of computing and also branch out to the rest of
the South Alabama community,” Taylor
commented.
All South Alabama students are encouraged to attend SGA meetings to
find out about weekly campus events
and have a voice in SGA decisions as
part of the student forum.
SGA meets on Monday nights at 8
p.m. in the conference room at the
Fresh Food Co. near the residence halls.

turns.” Yance also stated for the record
that Smith chose not to accept a pay raise
for the three months that he will serve as
president.
In regards to the subject, Smith told
The Vanguard that it wasn’t about the
money. “During these tough economic
times, I feel like it would be unfair. I’m
not doing this for the money; I’m doing
this for President Moulton and the University,” Smith said following the meeting.
Smith has been with USA since 2008
as the Vice President of Student Affairs
and has been the special assistant to the
president since 2010.
Previously, Smith served as interim
president at the University of Central
Arkansas.
He’s also been executive vice-president, vice-president of financial and
administrative services, vice president
of student affairs, dean of students and
director of housing while at Central Arkansas.
Smith earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Mississippi State
University.
The Vanguard will continue to monitor President Moulton’s health as information becomes available.

VOL. 52, NO. 4 / FEB. 4, 2013

jagLIFE

Light of the Village changing lives everyday

COURTESY OF LIGHT OF THE VILLAGE

Light of the Village serves an incredible group of people. From after-school programs to Summer Bible Camps, this organization is making a difference.

By JAKE HOWELL
life.editor@usavanguard.com

W

e all look for the light in the
darkness, the order in the

chaos.
In the Alabama Village community
of Prichard, one organization is committed to not only looking for the light,
but being it.
For eleven years, Light of the Village (LOV) has served this community
and the people who call it home.
Founded by John and Dolores
Eads, LOV offers a myriad of programs and services to the Alabama Village including after-school programs
and classes aimed at helping students
succeed.
LOV after-school program director
and University of South Alabama
graduate Morgan Blankenship said,
“We are first and foremost a church,
so we hold church services every Sunday as well as providing Bible studies
throughout the week. As for one of
our biggest programs, we hold class
every day so that students can study
for their GEDs. We also have an afterschool program three days a week that
includes our Bright Lights program
which is a tutoring program for schoolage children.”
In addition to academic help, LOV
offers work readiness programs designed to teach key skills for navigating
the job market and everyday life. Classes can involve anything from managing and living on a budget to driver’s
education.

Blankenship also described an offshoot of the work readiness program,
called Yard Dawgs, aimed at serving
the community.
“Our Yard Dawgs work really hard
to clean up the surrounding community as well as provide lawn care for
anyone in need,” Blankenship said.
In its eleven years, LOV has grown
into a beacon of hope and change in
the Alabama Village community.
When asked how LOV has impacted the community, Blankenship replied, “Light of the Village, as I said
before, is first and foremost a church.
We are there to share Jesus Christ with
everyone that we come in contact
with...If you ask our GED students or
our kids in the after-school program
about LOV, they will describe it as
their family. I think that above all else,
LOV has impacted the community by
being that constant presence of light
in an otherwise dark place.”
This organization is changing lives
and not only in Alabama Village.
LOV’s impact is also reaching the USA
campus.
Each week, the Westminster Fellowship, a student organization at
USA, volunteers at LOV.
Junior mechanical engineering major Shelton Flores has been volunteering at LOV with the Westminster Fellowship since 2010.
“On Wednesdays we tutor the kids
and help with homework. On Thursdays we have more of a fun day where
we play the kids’ favorite games. Then
we sit and share with them in a Bible

class after playing,” Flores said.
Flores also added that USA students don’t have to be a part of Westminster Fellowship to join in helping
out at LOV.
“Whatever we do we open up to
the campus as well, so students who
are not a part [of Westminster Fellowship] can still share their time and get
service hours if needed. We have had
students who are not a part of us, join
us and enjoy sharing their time with
the kids of LOV.”
Sophomore broadcast journalism
major Colton Bradford has also been
impacted by working with LOV.
“I think every young person needs
to have a place where they can go and
be humbled. Light of the Village is
mine. The students don’t see the poverty that’s around them, they see the
future that’s in front of them. Many
times, students think they need to go
out of the country or out of the state
to help someone, no, these people are
right in our backyards and they need
help just as bad,” Bradford, who can
also be heard in the mornings as part
of the 95KSJ Breakfast Club, said.
LOV offers USA students an opportunity to become parts of something bigger than themselves, something that is changing lives in this
community.
“We love to have college students
come out and volunteer...Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday afternoons,
we hold our after-school program
which includes our Bright Lights tutoring program. From 3:30 until 5:30
on those days, we offer tutoring, a hot

meal, a Bible story and games for the
kids in our community. When I was
a student at South, this is how I first
got involved with LOV,” Blankenship
stated when asked about how USA students could get involved.
“We also have several events
throughout the year that we invite people to be a part of, such as our annual
Thanksgiving Meal. We typically serve
1,000 plates to the community for that
event! Our next big event is going to
be Summer Bible Camp. We take applications for summer interns that would
like to be a part of the 8 week camp,”
Blankenship added.
While the after-school program is
always in need of things like school
supplies, Blankenship says that the best
thing to donate is time.
“Time is always the most valuable
asset. From pushing a child on a swing
to tutoring one of our GED students,
taking the time out to share with someone is priceless.”
Students wanting to donate their
time, experience and passion can find
more information at lightofthevillage.
org.
“We must always remember that we
serve individual people, all with unique
obstacles, challenges, talents and
dreams. We will help nurture and develop each person to discover their
walk with Christ.” These words, found
on the LOV website, encompass everything that this organization stands
for and believes in.
These words remind us that service
isn’t about the accolades or resume
lines. It’s about people.

JAKE HOWELL, JAGLIFE EDITOR
life.editor@usavanguard.com

6

WEEKLY
LOWDOWN
Monday, Feb. 4
►12 - 1 p.m. - Soul Food Lun-

cheon featuring the AASA
Gospel Choir at the Mitchell
Center Globe. Please RSVP
with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.

Members of the Westminster Fellowship serving as tutors during an after-school
program at Light of the Village.

Want your event featured in
the Weekly Lowdown? Email
the name, date, time, price, place
and a brief tagline (under seven
words) to life.editor@usavanguard.com

7

VOL. 52, NO. 4 / FEB. 4, 2013

New Spanish professor plans for adventure abroad with students

COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA

Students who embark on this study abroad adventure will have the opportunity to
immerse themselves in the Spanish culture, wander Spanish streets and taste the
adventure that Europe has to offer.

By STUART SOX
sgsox@att.net

P

rofessor Roberto RoblesValencia will be taking a
group of students this summer to
study at the University of Castilla La
Mancha in Cuenca, Spain, a new city
for the study abroad program in the
foreign language department.
The six-week trip will begin June
15 and end July 27 and account
for nine credit hours for each stu-

dent. Students will take two threehour classes taught by professors
at UCLM and one three-hour class
taught by Robles.
According to Robles, there are
planned excursions during the trip
to other places in Spain.
The students will also have free
time on weekends to explore Cuenca
as well as other parts of Spain and
Europe.
The students traveling to Cuenca
will be foreign language majors spe-

Painting the campus purple

cializing in Spanish.
According to Robles, studying
abroad is paramount to the education of a foreign language major.
“I think it’s the best way for them
to use their skills and see themselves
in real situations in another country,” Robles said.
“It’s not like here where you can
revert back to English…they will be
forced to rely on the local language,”
Robles added.
Robles also said the education in
the study abroad program is just as
much about the culture as it is about
the language.
“Seeing another country is seeing
another world…It’s a wonderful
educational experience to see how
the world works differently in other
places,” Robles commented.
Senior social work major Brittany
Llull studied in Madrid, Spain last
summer for one month.
“Immersing yourself in another
culture is the best way to learn how
to dominate another language…I
think it’s always a good experience
to visit another country,” Llull commented.
Scholarships for this trip are
available to foreign language majors
and honors students. The total cost
to go to Cuenca is $5,292, which
covers tuition, housing and three
meals per day.

While there are still openings for
students to sign up for this trip, the
expected number of students attending is between 12 and 15.
Robles said that he wants to have
the group finalized by the beginning
of March, but also wants students
to know that he will be flexible and
work with students on a case-by-case
basis.
Students interested in this trip
can e-mail Robles at robles@southalabama.edu.

HEY
YOU

.

Into the downtown
scene?
We need a
Scene writer.
Bars, clubs, and
night life articles are
welcome.
Have bad service at
a local restaurant?
Excellent service?
Tell us! Write
about it and
let your peers
know.

COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA

Studying abroad is an excellent way
to not only become fluent in a foreign
language, but also to experience a new
cluture.

Email life.editor@
usavanguard.com

JagLife Organization Spotlight: Wesleyan Hot Chocolatiers

JAKE HOWELL | JAGLIFE EDITOR

By JAKE HOWELL
life.editor@usavanguard.com

F

rom Feb. 4 until Feb. 8, teams
for the 2013 Relay for Life will
be “painting the campus purple”. This
week-long event is designed to promote
and fundraise for Relay.
USA Relay for Life Event Chair Elizabeth Hieb said, “We want to make it our
mission that by the end of the week, everyone at South will know about Relay.”
Relay for Life is an annual walk organized by the American Cancer Society
in order to celebrate those fighting or
who’ve fought various forms of cancer,

all while raising money to fund research
for a cure. Started in 1985, this event has
grown and exploded worldwide, spreading a message of hope.
The main idea is to raise money and
awareness while lifting up those who are
in the midst of the fight against this disease or who’ve survived.
This year’s Relay at USA will be held
on March 29 from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Teams
have already started forming and fundraising.
More information on joining or starting a team can be found at relayforlife.
org/USA and facebook.com/RelayForLifeUSA.

CASSIE FAMBRO | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Members of the USA Wesley Foundation giving out hot chocolate as part of their monthly outreach. From left to right: David
Huggins, Kyle Clark, JT Crabtree, Alyssa Newton, Kimberly Mixon, Jayne Stewart.

Tucked away in Meisler Hall is a USA gem: The Career Services Center
By LOREN BURROUGHS
llb1102@jagmail.southalabama.edu

T

he career services center, located in Meisler Hall, is committed to aiding students in developing lifelong career management skills
through free services tailored to prepare the USA student for the professional world.
In line with their motto “Explore,
Experience, Engage”, the career services center prides itself on being able
to perform three tasks: helping students explore the educational and professional programs available to them,
providing experience opportunities in
those professional programs and engaging students in the career building
services the career center offers to create a competitive applicant to any program or career of their choice.
Director of career services Bevley
W. Green emphasizes the importance
of developing career-related experience while still in college.
“Employers look for applicants
with a breadth of experience, which is
usually their first and most important

COURTESY OF USA CAREER SERVICES

With the help of USA Career Services, students can not only gain career advice,
but also attain invaluable skills that will make them competetive in the job market.

criteria. The career center is here to
help students gain that.”
On January 31, the career services
center hosted the “Cooperative Educa-

tion and Internship Orientation,” one
of many educational seminars hosted
by the career services center.
During the orientation seminar,

students were educated on the difference between a cooperative education
experience and an internship.
Students were also given information on specific internship programs
that were looking for applicants in
their specific majors. It was truly an
enlightening experience.
Sophomore chemical engineering
major Dana Anderson stated, “I’ve
always heard about Co-Ops, but never
really understood what they were. Being able to go to school and gain experience in my field simultaneously
would be awesome!”
If you feel as if you’ve missed out,
the “Cooperative Education and Internship Orientation” has five more
sessions available to students: February
6 at 10:10 a.m., February 21 at 3 p.m.,
February 27 at 10:10 a.m., March 20 at
10:10 a.m. and March 26 at 9:30 a.m.
This seminar is only the beginning.
career services has a slew of events
planned for USA students over the
course of this semester. Some of them
include: Resume Critique Day, Spring
Career Expo and Mock Interview Day.
They also have many more semi-

nars planned. Anything from “How
to Write a Cover Letter” to “Social
Media: New Expectations for the Job
Search,” will be available for students
to attend.
For more information, just stop
by the career services office in Meisler
Hall, Room 2100 and pick up a copy
of their Spring 2013 Calendar of
Events.
The calendar can also be found at
their website, southalabama.edu/careerservices.

JAKE HOWELL | JAGLIFE EDITOR

SPORTS

PATRICK HERRING, SPORTS EDITOR
sports.editor@usavanguard.com

9

VOL. 52, NO. 4 / FEB. 4, 2013

Jaguars prepare hostile welcome for the Trojans

Is the NFL Offensive

By RYAN WALLACE

award necessary?

ryanwallace2010@gmail.com

By PATRICK HERRING

T

he basketball edition of
South Alabama’s fiercest
rivalry has arrived. This Thursday
night the USA Jaguars will host the
despised Troy Trojans at 7 p.m. at
the Mitchell Center for the twentieth
meeting between the two teams on
the hardwood.
The Jags will be looking to make
it anything but a comfortable
atmosphere for the struggling
Trojans, who occupy last place in
the Sun Belt’s East division with a
conference record of 4-7 and an
unimpressive 9-13 overall record.
History is on South’s side. In the
previous 19 matchups, the Jaguars
have sent the Trojans home as losers
13 times, including the last three in
a row. As for this year, the Jaguars
are enjoying a successful conference
season, going 8-4 in Sun Belt play
and sitting second in the competitive
East. Since interim head coach Jeff
Price took the reigns for the Jaguars,
they have compiled a 7-5 record, part
of an 11-9 overall mark.
A recent three game home win
streak against Louisiana-Monroe,
Western Kentucky and Florida
International was snapped by a 74-62
loss to Arkansas State in Jonesboro
before the Jaguars bounced back with
a 70-66 win two nights later against
the Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock.
South Alabama will be looking to
win at least two straight games for
the fifth time this season.
The Jaguars will no doubt make
good use of the break after their
Arkansas road trip to rest their
players and continue to figure out
how to deal with the loss of veteran
assists leader Freddie Goldstein,
who had his senior season ended

Player of the Year

sports.editor@usavanguard.com

S

BY BOBBY MCDUFFIE|USAJAGUARS.COM

Forward Augustine Rubit has been a force against the Trojans over the course of his career, averaging 13.8 rpg and 13.5 ppg in
four contests, including a 19 rebound game in his last outing against them.

by a broken clavicle suffered in the
contest against Western Kentucky.
His spot in the starting lineup
has been filled by freshman guard
Barrington Stevens III.
One constant South has come to
lean on is the solid play of junior
forward Augustine Rubit, who paces
the Sun Belt in rebounding and
ranks second in scoring. During the
three-game win streak, Rubit led the
Jaguars with 18.3 points and 10.6
rebounds per game. If the Jaguars
are going to take down Troy, the big
Houstonian’s scoring and rebounding
ability will have to play a major role
in the matchup.
The Trojans will certainly
remember Rubit, who not only hit the
game-winning layup in the waning
seconds of last season’s 68-66 win in

the Mitchell Center, but has put up
some great stats against the in-state
rival. In his four career games against
the Trojans, he has scored 54 points
and pulled in 55 rebounds, to go with
6 blocks.
The brunt of the challenge for
the Jaguars in Thursday night’s game
will probably fall on the shoulders of
guards Stevens III and juniors Dre
Connor and Antoine Allen.
Troy ranks 10 out of 11 Sun Belt
teams in scoring and the vast majority
of their production comes from their
guard positions, particularly senior
Emil Jones, who leads the Trojans
with 11.2 points per game. If the
talented Jaguar guards can shut
Jones down, this game could get ugly
early due to the lack of other Trojan
scoring options, and if the Jaguars

can put up points against an averageat-best Troy defense.
That is obviously the best-case
scenario, but if the Jaguars have to
grind a game out, their recent close
wins against the likes of FIU and
Louisiana-Lafayette attest to the fact
that this team isn’t afraid to scrap
and play down to the last second.
One thing is for certain: the players,
coaches, students and fans would
love nothing more than to send the
reviled visitors from Troy back home
with a humbling defeat.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of
coming out and watching this Jaguar
team play, there’s no better time than
the game against South’s biggest rival
to pack the Mitchell Center with your
fellow students and cheer the Jags on
to victory.

Want live play-by-play tweets of USA
basketball games and other sports info?
Follow @USAVGSports on twitter and
like USA Vanguard Sports on facebook

aturday the NFL held its annual
awards ceremony to honor the
outstanding performances of the 2012
season.
A few of the races involved pretty
close races with many players building
great cases for the respective honors.
Minnesota Vikings running back
Adrian “All Day” Peterson and Denver
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning
were in close contention for two awards:
the Most Valuable Player and the Comeback Player of the Year.
Both were well deserving of each
award. Peterson posted the second highest rushing yardage total in NFL history
with 2,097 yards on the ground, to go
along with 12 scores. Manning threw for
4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns. These
are easily MVP numbers.
Peterson was coming off of a torn
ACL and MCL while Manning was playing for the first time in more than a season, so it’s reasonable to see why each
would be considered for Comeback
Player of the year.
Manning won Comeback Player of
the year, but Peterson took home the
real prize with the coveted MVP trophy.
Manning shouldn’t be mad since he already has four MVP trophies in his case
at home.
Peterson took home another trophy
Saturday night, the Offensive Player of
the Year award. I believe that this award
has become completely pointless in today’s NFL.
The NFL MVP award has long been
an offensive award. Only three non-offensive players have ever won the award
(LB Lawrence Taylor, K Mark Moseley
and DT Alan Page) with the most recent
one being in 1985.
To take it a step further, those three
men are the only players in the award’s
55-year history to win the award who
weren’t either a quarterback or a running
back. In other words, the MVP is the default Offensive Player of the Year.
They should just change it to Most
Valuable Offensive Player and Most
Valuable Defensive Player to eliminate
this pointless award.
Speaking of defense, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt won Defensive Player of
the Year. Earlier in the season, there were
mumblings that he could win MVP, but
when it came down to crunch time, offense took it again. Defense wins championships, offense wins awards.

Last Thursday the Jaguars (12-9,
9-4) fell on the road to Arkansas State
(13-8, 7-5) after a late 8-0 run allowed
the Red Wolves to pull away and ice the
72-64 victory.
Junior Augustine Rubit led the way
for the Jaguars with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. He was perfect
from the free throw line, hitting all 12
attempts, a career high.
Senior Javier Carter played strong
off the bench in the first half, scoring
10 of his season-high 11 points in the
first stanza. He added 3 blocks and two
steals. It was Carter’s fourteenth consecutive game with at least one blocked
shot.
No other Jaguar scored in double
digits for the Jaguars, as the team
converted only two of ten 3-point attempts.
The Red Wolves actually shot
worse (36.4 percent) than USA (38
percent) on the night, becoming the
first team this season to defeat the
Jaguars when doing so. The Jags were
8-0 up to that point when outshooting
their opponents.
Arkansas State had four players
who scored in double digits. Leading
the way were Rakeem Dickerson and
Trey Finn, who each totaled 18 points
in the contest.
Two nights later, the Jaguars redeemed themselves with a 70-66 victory over the then-SBC West leading
Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans.
The Jags had three players scoring 16 or more points in this contest.
Sophomore Mychal Ammons scored
16 points, to go with 3 rebounds and
a block. Antoine Allen and Rubit
chipped in 17 points apiece.
Allen hit 3 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc. Rubit added 11 rebounds
to record his twelfth double-double
of the season, good for second in the
conference. He also moved into fifteenth place on the Sun Belt’s all-time
rebounding list with 803 in his career.
Ben Dillard and Josh Hagins led
the way for the Trojans, scoring 15 and
13 points respectively. UALR only shot
34 percent from the field, compared to
USA’s 41 percent.
Will Neighbour also pulled in 10
rebounds for the Trojans.
The Jaguars return home for a
three-game home stand, beginning
Thursday night against another team
of Trojans, this time from Troy. Then
they will finish it out with games
against FAU and Lousiana-Lafayette.
During USA’s last home stand, the
team won all three games.

The women of Arkansas State
won their seventh consecutive game
with a 72-61 victory over South Alabama.
The Lady Jags (12-10, 5-8) got into
a rut early, allowing the Red Wolves to
hit 7 of their first 9 shots and force 11
USA turnovers in the first 11 minutes.
From that point, the Jaguars would
attempt to claw their way back, but
would never take the lead in the game.
Mary Nixon and Meghan Dunn
scored 16 points apiece for the Jaguars.
Nixon also tied for a team-high with 6
rebounds in the contest. She also tallied a game-high 5 steals. Dunn added
two rebounds and 2 steals.
In her first collegiate start, freshman Brianna Wright scored 12 points
and also pulled in 6 rebounds.
The Red Wolves were led by Hanna
Qedan, one of four who scored in
double figures for ASU. She totalled
16 points, to go with 4 rebounds and
two steals.
Ball movement was a problem for
the Jaguars, who only scored 6 times
off of an assist, as compared to 14 by
the Red Wolves.
ASU outshot USA 55.3 percent to
41.7 percent overall, as well as from
beyond the arc, 50 percent to 38.9 percent.
The Lady Jaguars would fall again
when they visited Arkansas-Little Rock
on the last stop of the road trip.
The Lady Trojans (15-7, 7-6) extended their winning streak to four
games, as the Lady Jags dropped their
third straight with the 65-34 loss.
UALR was hot all night, hitting
54.9 percent of their shots from the
field, as compared to USA’s 24.4 percent.
Wright was the only Jaguar to finish
with a double-digit scoring total with
10 points. She also grabbed 4 rebounds.
Ronekka Robertson scored 8 for
USA and pulled in a team-high 6 rebounds.
Jakeisha Wells and Taylor Ford
each reached double-figures for the
Trojans with 10 and 16 points respectively.
The Jaguars scored a new seasonlow with the 34 points, as well as a new
season-low in points scored in a half
with just 13 in the first.
USA begins a three-game home
stand against Troy Wed. at 11:30 a.m.
for the annual “Pack the House” game.
The home stand will also include
games agaisnt Florida Atlantic and
Louisiana-Lafayette.

fter an outstanding performance at the Arkansas State
Invitational in Jonesboro, senior Latifah Johnson was named the Sun Belt
Conference women’s athlete of the
week.
At the event, Johnson bettered her
own school record in the women’s shot
put with a mark of 14.94m. That distance was good for first place in the
event, as no other thrower got within
five feet of Johnson’s attempt.
It was the third time in the young
season that Johnson beat the school
record. She’s currently leading the Sun
Belt in the shot put rankings.
She also turned in a third-place finish in the 20-pound wight throw with
an 18.20m toss. Johnson is in second
place in the conference in the weight
throw.
This is the second time Johnson
has earned the distinction. She also
earned the honor after her performance at the Blazer Invitational in Birmingham in mid-January.
Johnson and her teammates will
travel to Birmingham this week to
compete in the Samford Invitational,
which begins Friday and goes through
Saturday.

USA Track and Field doesn’t have a
meet at home until the Tri-Meet
against conference rival Troy and local
rival Spring Hill on March 3.
Sandwiched between that meet and
the Blazer Invitational is the Sun Belt
Indoor championships, where Johnson will be looking to take home more
honors.
There’s no telling what the school
record will be by the time Johnson will
get to show off in front of the home
crowd in Mobile.

Want us to follow you?
Tweet us @USAVGSports

Derek Westbrook
@thedwestbrook25:
Steeplechaser
Walking up to your car while the
scum parking ticket giver is walking
up to your car and jumping in &
driving off while staring
her down >>>
Drew Dearman
@DrewDearman:
Offensive Lineman
Everybody has those bad games on
Call of Duty that make you reevaluate why you even play in the first
place
James Elliott @JDElliott54:
Offensive Lineman

BY JOHN ADAMS|USAJAGUARS.COM

Senior thrower Latifah Johnson

Be careful outside academic center.
If you stop ur truck to get a bright
yellow tennis ball... You get honked
at
Darius McKeller
@BigDdaBasedLord:
Offensive Lineman

Are you a student at USA?

Honey Boo Boo cant speak a lick
of english. I havent read so many
subtitles since i watched Inglorious
Bastard (great movie btw)

Do you love sports?
Do you love to write?
Do you want to build your resume?
If

you

answered

yes

to

these questions, we want YOU to
write for the Sports section! Just
send an email with some kind of
sample writing to
sports.editor@usavaguard.com
to let us know you’re interested.

Chris May @CmayFive5:
Offensive Lineman
When you have no service
in class <<<<
Brittany Fowler @FowlerPower6:
Infielder
I hate trying to walk once my leg
has fell asleep... I look like I have a
peg leg! #strugglebus
Rush Hendricks @_RusHen_:
Tight End
There’s nothing more humbling
than when the old ladies in my
Pilates class are better than me!

You could be in an issue of

The Vanguard
THIS SEMESTER!

@USAVGSports

LEFT OF CENTER

JT CRABTREE, LOC EDITOR
jtc804@jagmail.southalabama.edu

11

VOL. 52, NO. 4 / FEBRUARY 4, 2013

Basketball
player
arrested in
Texas
By JT CRABTREE

jtc804@jagmail.southalabama.edu

S

VANGUARD ARCHIVES

Running back Demetre Baker against Kent State during the 2011 season

Jags finalize 2013 football schedule

FCS team season opener scheduled along with tough out-of-conference opponents
By JT CRABTREE

jtc804@jagmail.southalabama.edu

T

he South Alabama Jaguars
have filled out their 2013
schedule with the addition of FCS
Southern Utah on August 29.
The Jags lost two opponents on
their schedule, Middle Tennessee
State and FAU, after both programs
announced they would be leaving
for Conference USA following the
2012-2013 academic year.
The Jags will now play Southern
Utah in their season opener at home

on August 29, a Thursday evening.
The Jags are 4-0 all-time when playing on Thursday nights.
“A unique set of circumstances
has allowed us to secure a sixth
home game for the 2013 season,”
athletic director Dr. Joel Erdmann said. “We are pleased to secure
Southern Utah for that game and
excited that this game will be on the
Thursday evening prior to Labor
Day. We have drawn tremendous
crowds on Thursday evenings in the
past and look to do the same to kickoff the 2013 season.”

Southern Utah plays in the FCS
Big Sky conference. The Thunderbirds were 5-6 this past season,
while upsetting No. 1 Eastern Washington 30-27 on October 27 and No.
11 Northern Arizona 35-29 on November 10. In 2011, Southern Utah
rolled over FBS member UNLV 4116 on September 24 on their way being ranked 17 in the FCS.
The 2013 season will mark the
third straight season the Jags are
scheduled to start on a Thursday.
The 2012 season opener against
UTSA was delayed to the following

Saturday due to Hurricane Isaac.
Following the season opener,
South Alabama is scheduled to play
at Tulane on September 7, at Tennessee on September 28, Kent State
at home on October 19 and at Navy
on November 16. The remaining
weeks will be filled with Sun Belt
Conference games. The Jags’ home
Sun Belt Conference opponents will
be Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe and Western
Kentucky. The Sun Belt Conference
road opponents will be Georgia
State, Texas State and Troy.

uspended South Alabama
men’s basketball player Xavier
Roberson was arrested on January
21 in Humble, Texas, in connection
with a home burglary that occurred
on December 24 in Tyler, Texas.
According to a report from
KLTV out of Tyler, Roberson was
a suspect in the Christmas Eve
burglary that day. He was arrested
in Humble on January 21 and
transferred to Tyler in January, where
he is being held on $300,000 bond,
according to the Smith County,
Texas, Sherriff ’s Office.
Roberson is being charged with
burglary of a habitation, a second
degree felony.
According to reports, officers
found a car that matched the
description of the suspect and
attempted to stop it. The suspects
then tossed the suspected stolen
jewelry out of the car and got away.
Tyler police are still looking for two
other suspects in the case.
Roberson has been suspended
since December 29, and is not
enrolled for the spring semester.
Roberson originally played one
season at TCU, before coming to
South Alabama via Paris, Texas,
Junior College.
The Jags will start a three game
home-stand on February 7 against
rival Troy at 7 p.m. The Jags will then
host Florida Atlantic on February 9
and UL-Lafayette on February 14.

Baseball scrimmages underway
By JT CRABTREE

jtc804@jagmail.southalabama.edu

T

Infielder Robby Campbell

JT CRABTREE / LOC SPORTS EDITOR

he South Alabama Jaguars
baseball team has started its
final preparations for the 2013 season with intrasqaud scrimmages.
The Jags will hold scrimmages
every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and
Sunday until the start of the season

ome students were quoted on
local media saying that they
were unaware of what the president
looks like or what he does.
We’d like to encourage you to tell
those students to read The
Vanguard and check the University’s
home page for up-to-date information
about the school that they attend.
The president of a University is
someone that you should definitely
know about and you should be following their actions.
With President Moulton taking
three months to recover from brain
surgery, it’s now time to look upon Dr.
Smith.
He will be the person representing
USA at the highest level. The president
of a university influences tuition increases, building projects and so much
more. It is under President Moulton
that this university has grown to over

15,000 students and seen the structural
growth it has in recent years.
Dr. Smith has been an interim president before at another school and has
the experience to stand for what USA
needs, values and believes in.
A member of the USA family since
2008, Dr. Smith was the ideal candidate in this tumultuous time.
He has always been open and honest with The Vanguard and we want to
welcome him into his temporary role.
More than just that, we’d like to
commend him for not taking a pay
raise for the three months he will serve
as president.
He says that he isn’t doing this for
himself and that he’s doing it for the
University.
That is an example of the kind of
leadership that students definitely need
to know about.
Good luck, Dr. Smith.

The new middle-of-the-road
College students have stood their ground for years and have
now set the new standard for center and moderate thinking

I

t’s no
s e cret that the
population
of American
lawmakers
looks drastically different from the
Noah Logan
population
Opinion Editor
of American
adults. In a
government “of the people, by the
people and for the people,” America
has omitted the “of the people,” part.
For example, the center for responsive
politics reports that nearly 50 percent
of congressmen are millionaires. This
number is a bit askew because lawmakers are exempt from having to report
their house values when determining
personal worth.
This is in stark contrast to the percentage of millionaires residing in
America today, a whopping two percent. This is one of many representation problems in our government
today.
College students today are presenting Republican lawmakers with another statistical mismatch that will only
grow over time. We all know college
tends to be filled with more progressive, liberal thinkers. Here at South
Alabama, that isn’t exactly the case but

The student protest of USAPD after the Gil Collar shooting is just one example of college students making themselves heard.

I digress.
A recent report from higher education research shows that 47 percent of college students now identify
themselves as “middle of the road.”
This is a significant rise from the 43
percent in 2008.
While it may appear that college
students are actually moving from
the left to the center, numbers don’t
always tell the whole story. What was
once known as liberal and progressive is now classified as center of the
road. The same study also shows that
75 percent of college students support gay marriage equality, 64 percent
strongly support the DREAM Act
and 80 percent are concerned about
climate change.
All these statistics still show growing support for progressive causes
without calling themselves progressives anymore. With almost universal
support for center, but not really center, ideals, the Republican Party either
has to find a new angle to attack or
just start cutting their losses and accept what will be. Fordham College of
Republicans President Samuel Martin
was quoted at the last Conservative
Political Action Conference saying,
“It is something that isn’t openly discussed, but I would say we generally
are either in favor of it, or we see it as
an inevitability. Many of us either are

gay or have gay friends and as young
Republicans we don’t discuss it very
often.
Much speculation has been going
on about what the future of the Republican Party holds. George W. Bush
has created an unfair stereotype for
most conservatives and two straight
losses to a candidate who could have
easily been beaten out for the center
votes have left the party in a leaderless
and confused state. John Boehner is
not a long-term relationship prospect
and finding a new face is of the upmost priority. Some ill-timed remarks
about rape haven’t helped the cause
either.
All politics aside, this is major cause
for uneasiness in the Republican Party.
Some key traditional stances will need
to be looked at. It’s hard to imagine a
Republican Party being a strong advocate for gay marriage rights but plenty
of young Republican students will
identify themselves as an advocate.
College students have been a
source of forward thinking in a nation that has gone through black eye
periods due to various social issues. It’s
a positive sight to see college students
of all political affiliations leading the
now mainstream effort of progress
and forward thinking that also used to
land them negative labels of the liberal
college kid.

NOAH LOGAN | OPINION EDITOR

13

VOL. 52, NO. 4 / FEB. 4, 2013

T
h
e
ground is falling fast below
the feet of
political moderates
right
now in the
wake of the
Connor
election. They
Favreau
generally do
not share the
president’s zealous enthusiasm for
the European style of government,
but they also care about the growing
income gap between the rich and the
poor, an issue Republicans have not
tackled.
I would like to take up the cause
of the moderate with the hopes that
its base will grow and thus promote
the election of more moderate political leaders.
Philosophically speaking, both
the left and the right raise important
insight into what values society as a
whole should pursue. One might explain the fundamental split between
the two sides as one between equality and liberty.
John Rawls, one of the most recent liberal philosophers, is known
for labeling justice as “fairness”.
Fairness for Rawls and generic liberals is equality, and should therefore

be the focus of government action.
To justify equality, one could imagine a scenario in which everybody
has the same conditions, e.g., the
same opportunities, setbacks and
predispositions. In this scenario virtually everybody would agree, or so
a liberal might argue, that everybody
deserves an equal share of wealth
and rights. President Obama’s focus
on the rich paying their “fair share”
exemplifies equality as the liberal
cornerstone.
Contrastingly, those on the right
base their principles on the absolute
freedom of the individual, a freedom often impinged upon in the
pursuit of equality. Those on the
right would argue against Rawls’s
and the liberal conception of fairness. Instead, they would likely argue
for something similar to what libertarian philosopher Robert Nozick
refers to as “Entitlement Theory” in
his book “Anarchy, State, and Utopia”. This theory summarily asserts
entitlement as that which a person
earns through his or her work or is
given. The libertarian would define
the conditions of fairness, then, as
everyone receiving that to which he
or she is entitled.
In their attempts to justify equality and liberty as the goal of govern-

Our SGA President, Parker Chastain, even identifies himself as a moderate.

ment, both sides of the political aisle
encounter difficulties. The libertarian argument of Nozick illuminates
the biggest problem with liberal
equality: that it neglects the work of
the individual. Libertarians, on the
other hand, neglect an individual’s
relation to society. At a certain point
an individual’s endeavors will harm
another’s. Considering the millions
that corporate CEOs make compared to the tens of thousands of
most workers, to say that the CEO
works that much harder than the
average worker seems silly. Though
corporate CEOs may have authority
to pay their workers what they want,
one could argue that the system
could be stacked in a way that limits
the common workers’ endeavors.
The moderate, therefore, accepts
the goodness of both liberty and
equality. Each, when assumed to be
absolutely “right” over the other,
can lead to problems. Yet each carries with it a great value that would
be foolish not to pursue as both an
individual and as a member of society.

THE VANGUARD ARCHIVES

JagPulse

Do you attend Mardi Gras parades and/or balls?
Why or why not?
Julie Stone: We take our son to
the family friendly parades.
Ryan Wallace: Went to a ball last
year and had a good time, but didn’t
go to any of the parades. I’ll go to
both this year and see what all the
fuss is about!
Khaela C Huey: I go to the
parades only because I always get
a roommate who has never been.
Never been to a ball and probably
never will. I have a colorful array of

friends who I would want to enjoy
the ball with, but some “traditions”
have got to change first.
Nick Grondin: I haven’t in the
past simply because Connecticut
doesn’t celebrate Mardi Gras. I plan
to go to a split between Mobile and
New Orleans
Zadora Edwards: I just love
Mardi Gras and the parades. My
favorite memory so far is wrestling
with a lady over a giant stuffed rabbit.

I’ve never been to a ball, but I plan to
change that.
Chris Browning: Never been
big on the balls, but then again, I’ve
always been a leg man.
Lauren Wheeler: I attend both
and it is an awesome Mobile, AL
tradition that everybody should
experience!!

Kappa Sigma fraternity during this past Day of Service at the Military Hero’s Car Show

COURTESY OF COLIN-AL GREENE

The Philosophical Case for Being a Moderate

Campus offers more
than one day of service
W

e, despite
all of our grumblings about the
DOW and the
fourth quarter
shrinking of the
GDP, are very
Colin
fortunate. We
Al-Greene
are privileged to
live in a society
where everyone has access to some level
of education. We have ready access to
medical and dental services.
Even among the poorest of us, we
are guaranteed some level of shelter and
access to food and water. We live in a nation that allows for personal liberty, the
freedom of speech, thought, assembly
and whatever religion we desire; or lack
thereof. We have nearly limitless potential to achieve whatever dream we may
hold.
As college students, we are especially
fortunate. If we work hard enough, we
can achieve nearly any goal. Because of
this, we should remember that not everyone in the world, or even in our own
nation, is as well off as we are. At the
University of South Alabama, the feeling
of gratitude and the need to give back is
rampant.
Every January, students celebrate Dr.
King’s birthday by participating in a Day
of Service. They do yard work at the
Dumas Wesley Community Center. They
spent time with the children at St. Mary’s
home. They helped out at Penelope’s
Closet. Their level of service isn’t limited
to one day, however.
All throughout the year, student
groups roll up their sleeves and help out.
Members of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the
pre-health society, rack up service hours
all throughout the year. The honors program organization promotes good stew-

ardship in its members. The different
campus ministry groups show compassion for their fellow human beings with
their charitable acts.
Leading in the pack in terms of service are the fraternity men and sorority
women. From a quote on the Greek Life
web page; “Philanthropy is a major part
of Greek Life at the University of South
Alabama. Greek organizations pride
themselves on community service participation. All Greek students are involved
with philanthropies locally and nationally.
Annually, Greeks donate more than
5000 hours of community-based service
and donate more than $100,000 to support worthy causes.” Whether it be the
Military Heroes Campaign, Make-AWish, disease research, voter registration
drives, or youth mentoring, Greeks make
service to others a huge part of their college career. The list of caring organizations goes on and on.
A large part of USA’s spirit of philanthropy comes the center for academic
service-learning and civic engagement.
Its goals are stated plainly. “The mission of (CASLCE) is to provide a student-centered resource for members of
the USA student body, faculty, the surrounding community and international
partners who are interested in participating in academic service-learning and
civic engagement at the University of
South Alabama. CASLCE will provide
information, referrals, public relations,
and faculty and student development,
and will serve as an advocate for USA’s
service-learning and civic engagement
activities.”
There are plenty of opportunities to
be great at USA since everyone has the
opportunity to serve. If you are not currently involved with a group that actively
engages in service, you should take a
closer look.

14

VOL. 52, NO. 4 / FEB. 4, 2013

Harassment at USA
Continuted from page 1
referral to the University Disciplinary
Committee. Sanctions for violating
this policy include, but are not limited
to financial restitution, relocation and
housing removal.”
Both Lt. Orso and USA Dean of
Students Dr. Mike Mitchell explained
exactly what the housing handbook
says. If you feel there is a problem
with a roommate you can ask for yourself or the other person involved to be
removed from the room and moved
elsewhere.
In the cases of harassment through
social media, the best place to report
those situations are USAPD and also
the Dean of Student’s office.
“Harassment is a USA code of
conduct violation,” Dr. Mitchell said.
“We can make a no contact order for
a student and anyone can make a referral for this. We will let the person
know they have been referred for a no
contact order and allow them a chance
to respond.”
“It’s my responsibility to resolve it,”
Dr. Mitchell added.
If a major issue involving students
comes about and a no contact order
is issued, the University Disciplinary

Committee will meet to hear the case.
The UDC consists of the Judicial
Affairs Officer or designee, tallest one
faculty member or staff member and
student members with no more than
15 students involved. The SGA Supreme Court Chief Justice and Associative Justices are asked to be involved
but any student with conflicting interests won’t be allowed to contribute to
the UDC.
To avoid harassment through social
media, Lt. Orso tries to advise students
to not allow personal information to
be out in the open.
“Don’t put your phone numbers on
Facebook or Twitter,” Lt. Orso said.
The legal definition of harassment
was partly given in the housing handbook and is very broad. Lt. Orso and
USAPD has heard harassment claims
from students who have had their personal items pushed off of their bed
and in last week’s police blotter a harassment case was filed after an argument over cooking spoons.
With the wide variety and vagueness of harassment, it is useful for
students and the University to have a
system in place like the do to handle
any situation.